MN hunters fuel economy

[Lee Borgersen]

        Minnesota hunters fuel local economies with $725M in spending


When thousands of pheasant hunters wade into cattails and grasslands for the Minnesota pheasant opener that begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, they will be contributing to the economic health of the state's economy.
 
More than a half-million Minnesotans and nonresidents hunt in Minnesota each year. Collectively they spend an estimated $725 million per year, according to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

"Minnesota ranks ninth in the nation for resident hunter numbers," said C.B. Bylander, outreach chief for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Fish and Wildlife Division. "This strong tradition of hunting has long helped fuel local economies throughout the farmland and forested portions of the state."   

According the 2011 national survey direct expenditures by hunters in Minnesota include:

$400 million on equipment such as guns, ammunition and special clothes.
$235 million on trip related expenses such as food, lodging and transportation.
$90 million on other expenses such as land leasing, hunting land ownership, magazines, etc.
Bylander said the average amount spent per hunter in 2011 was $1,412, up from $889 in 2006 when the previous survey was taken. Direct retail sales related to upland bird hunting totaled about $121 million. When combined with angling, Minnesota hunters and anglers support nearly 48,000 Minnesota jobs.

Bylander said about 84,000 people hunted pheasants in Minnesota last year.

[glenn57]

THERE ARE NEWS REPORTS OUT THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MAY HAVE AN EFFECT ON WHERE ROOSTER HUNTERS MAY BE ABLE TO GO. up in Itasca county a lot of that land/trials are managed by the forestry dept and my brother said someone after the rains put up signs that said these trails a closed due to the shutdown!!!!!

[Lee Borgersen]

  DNR NEWS - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         Oct. 11, 2013

Many public lands remain open to hunters, recreationists during federal government shutdown

Now that hunting season is underway, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants people to know which public lands remain open during the federal government shutdown.

Minnesota's wildlife management areas, Walk-In Access areas and state forests are open during the shutdown. State fish and game licenses as well as federal duck stamps can be purchased at any DNR license agent, online at www.mndnr.gov/buyalicense and via telephone at 888-665-4236.

Minnesota's 76 state parks and recreation areas and state trails remain open. To check if a particular park is a state park, refer to the map online www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/map.html or contact the DNR Information Center at 651-296-6157, toll-free 888-646-6367 or info.dnr@state.mn.us.

The Superior and Chippewa national forests remain accessible and available for hunting and fishing. U.S. Forest Service offices and visitor centers, including those in Superior and Chippewa, are closed.

National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages, are closed during the shutdown, according to the federal agency.

Find more information about the status of federal lands and waters impacted by the shutdown at www.doi.gov/shutdown/index.cfm.

[glenn57]

yep heard they fixed that Friday afternoon.